'Actor' who claimed to look like Brad Pitt jailed for rape and secretly not using condoms
A self-proclaimed actor who believed he resembled Brad Pitt has been jailed for 16 years for a series of sexual offences, including rape for secretly not using a condom.
Luke Ford, 35, from Stirling, Scotland, was convicted of 19 charges, including violence, sexual assault, threats, and abuse against women.
One of the seven rape charges against him involved "stealthing," the act of removing a condom without a partner's knowledge or consent.
He was found to have deliberately had unprotected sex despite the woman only agreeing to sex with a condom.
Ford was given a 21-year extended sentence with 16 years in custody at the High Court in Edinburgh on Wednesday, the Crown Office said.
The court heard how Ford targeted nine female victims over a 12-year campaign of abuse that lasted from 2008 to 2020.
One of the female victims, his ex-partner, told the Daily Mail that the "only reason he didn’t kill me was because he thought he was going to be the next Brad Pitt or Christian Bale".
After she ended the relationship, he told her he had slept with multiple women, boasting that "looking like Brad Pitt really helps".
Ford was described as a sporadic actor who appeared in the music video for Deacon Blue's This Is a Love Song. He also claimed to have served as a stand-in for Brad Pitt in the 2013 film World War Z, which had some scenes filmed in Glasgow.
Another victim told the court she gave Ford a condom before sex, believing he had used it. He later admitted he had not, and told her to take the morning-after pill or have an abortion if she became pregnant.
Katrina Parkes, procurator fiscal for High Court sexual offending, said: “Luke Ford is a serial offender who demonstrated no respect for the consent of his victims.
“He was prepared to use manipulation, force or threats to carry out his abuse. He showed disregard for the importance of consent between partners.
“I would urge any victim of similar offending to take confidence from Ford’s conviction. Please come forward, report your experience and seek help.”
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Detective Inspector Steven Gray called Ford a "dangerous and manipulative sexual predator".
Police Scotland launched an investigation of the self-proclaimed actor in June 2020 following a report of an assault.
He was arrested and charged in February 2021 and convicted at the High Court in Glasgow in May 2023.
“I would like to acknowledge how hard this has been for those involved and to also tell them that their testimonies vastly contributed to Ford being convicted," Det Insp Gray said.
“I hope that knowing he is now behind bars for his crimes helps them continue to move forward with their lives. Anyone who has been a victim of sexual assault or abuse should contact us."
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